Uploaded July 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
In this video, I’m sharing one of my favourite real-life training exercises to teach correct flexion — and help you build better riding habits at the same time 🐴✨
Flexion is the most important part of bend, and it starts at the poll (not the neck). You can’t have bend without flexion, but you can have flexion without bend — and that’s an important distinction many riders miss.
I’ll show you exactly how I teach riders to feel and create true flexion using a simple setup with cones (or milk bottles or anything visual). It helps both you and your horse stay soft, responsive, and focused — especially useful for green horses or young riders learning to coordinate their aids 💡
🎥 In this video, I cover:
🔹 What flexion really is — and how it's different to neck bend
🔹 A simple arena setup you can do at home (no fancy gear needed)
🔹 How to use cones as reminders to time your aids
🔹 How to build suppleness and softness in the corners
🔹 Why your horse might find one side harder (and how to help)
🔹 How to create unconscious good habits in your own riding
This is the kind of foundational work I do with all the horses I start under saddle, and it's just as helpful for improving rider timing and awareness. Once you've built it in with visuals, you’ll start doing it naturally — and that’s when the real magic happens 🌟
🐴 Want to see me explain this on a different horse?
Watch me teach flexion with Spider here: youtu.be/IVGyXdcjcZs
(He’s no longer with us, but he was a great teacher ❤️)
👇 Let me know in the comments if you try this with your horse! I’d love to hear how it goes — and if you have any questions, just ask.
📌 Download my free Three Principles Handout - basichorsetraining.com/3-principles
📲 Join the BHT Academy for structured training step by step - we start from the ground:
basichorsetraining.com/courses/basic-horse-training-academy
Follow along on socials:
📸 Instagram & Facebook — @BasicHorseTraining
🎓 YouTube — Subscribe for new videos every week
❤️ No obligation whatsoever, but if I have brought you value and you would like to donate to support this channel or buy the horses some hay!! Go Here buymeacoffee.com/basichorsetraining
#HorseFlexionExercise #HowToTeachFlexion #FlexionNotNeckBend #PollFlexionExplained #HorseTrainingWithCones #BendStartsWithFlexion #TeachingGreenHorses #SupplenessInHorses #HorseRidingHabits #BuildRiderAwareness #BasicHorseTraining #JosieMatthews #DressageBasicsForRiders #TrainingYoungHorses #HorseAndRiderConnection
In this video, I’m sharing one of my favourite real-life training exercises to teach correct flexion — and help you build better riding habits at the same time 🐴✨
Flexion is the most important part of bend, and it starts at the poll (not the neck). You can’t have bend without flexion, but you can have flexion without bend — and that’s an important distinction many riders miss.
I’ll show you exactly how I teach riders to feel and create true flexion using a simple setup with cones (or milk bottles or anything visual). It helps both you and your horse stay soft, responsive, and focused — especially useful for green horses or young riders learning to coordinate their aids 💡
🎥 In this video, I cover:
🔹 What flexion really is — and how it's different to neck bend
🔹 A simple arena setup you can do at home (no fancy gear needed)
🔹 How to use cones as reminders to time your aids
🔹 How to build suppleness and softness in the corners
🔹 Why your horse might find one side harder (and how to help)
🔹 How to create unconscious good habits in your own riding
This is the kind of foundational work I do with all the horses I start under saddle, and it's just as helpful for improving rider timing and awareness. Once you've built it in with visuals, you’ll start doing it naturally — and that’s when the real magic happens 🌟
🐴 Want to see me explain this on a different horse?
Watch me teach flexion with Spider here: youtu.be/IVGyXdcjcZs
(He’s no longer with us, but he was a great teacher ❤️)
👇 Let me know in the comments if you try this with your horse! I’d love to hear how it goes — and if you have any questions, just ask.
📌 Download my free Three Principles Handout - basichorsetraining.com/3-principles
📲 Join the BHT Academy for structured training step by step - we start from the ground:
basichorsetraining.com/courses/basic-horse-training-academy
Follow along on socials:
📸 Instagram & Facebook — @BasicHorseTraining
🎓 YouTube — Subscribe for new videos every week
❤️ No obligation whatsoever, but if I have brought you value and you would like to donate to support this channel or buy the horses some hay!! Go Here buymeacoffee.com/basichorsetraining
#HorseFlexionExercise #HowToTeachFlexion #FlexionNotNeckBend #PollFlexionExplained #HorseTrainingWithCones #BendStartsWithFlexion #TeachingGreenHorses #SupplenessInHorses #HorseRidingHabits #BuildRiderAwareness #BasicHorseTraining #JosieMatthews #DressageBasicsForRiders #TrainingYoungHorses #HorseAndRiderConnection
